Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Does Cold Weather Affect our Joints?







Does Cold Weather Affect our Joints?


Some of us experience a nagging discomfort in our joints during rainy days or throughout the winter months. Or, what’s bearable during warmer weather veers out of control when the temperature dives. These physical changes aren’t just part of our imaginations.
Lauren Farrell, M.S.P.T., physical therapist and clinic director of Professional Physical Therapy in New Jersey, says, “While it can happen in any part of the body, this cold-weather achiness is most common in weight-bearing joints, like the knees, hips and ankles. This is especially true for the running population, where they tend to be spending longer periods of time exercising outside in the cold.”1
Although there is scanty research to prove why this happens, experts do have some theories. According to orthopedic surgeon and founder of Manhattan Orthopedic Care, Armin Tehrany, M.D., “The research suggests that in colder weather, the body will conserve heat, and it will send more of the blood to the organs in the center of the body, like the heart or the lungs. So when that happens—the arms, legs, shoulders, knee joints—those blood vessels will constrict. Less blood flow makes those areas colder and stiffer, which can cause discomfort and pain.”2
Another trigger for achy joints is a change in barometric pressure, a measurement that refers to the weight of the surrounding air. Researchers have found that barometric pressure affects pressure inside the joints. The Arthritis Foundation reported that when pressure in the hip joints was equated with atmospheric pressure, it threw the ball of the hip joint about one-third of an inch off track.3
When barometric pressure is high, it pushes against the body from the outside and keeps the tissues from expanding. When it is low, there is less air pressure pushing against the body, allowing the tissues to expand, which puts pressure on the joints. Even though there may seem to be only a small change in pressure, people with sensitive joints can discern a difference, especially those with injuries, chronic inflammation or even scarring of the tissues.
If you are someone who has tender joints or muscles, here are some practical tips to help maintain Active Wellness:
  1. Dress warmly for the outdoors. Wear layers so you can peel them off when temperatures fluctuate. Layers also help trap in your body’s natural heat. Since heat is often lost from the extremities, wear gloves, socks and a hat.
  2. When indoors, try to keep your home warm. Use a heating pad on your joints if needed. Heat relaxes muscles and helps ease achiness.
  3. Soak in warm tubs, if possible. Hot tubs can provide great relief.
  4. Swimming in a heated pool is one of the best exercises to soothe joints. It’s not weight bearing, yet it provides great cardiovascular exercise.
  5. Inactivity causes increased stiffness of the joints, so keep physically mobile no matter how the temperature dips. Be sure to warm up to prevent stiffening of the joints and muscles. If you can’t stand being outdoors in the cold, find something to do indoors, whether it’s going to the gym or exercising to a DVD, dancing or using a treadmill or stationary bike at home.
  6. Stay hydrated. Dehydration increases sensitivity to discomforts, especially in the joints. Hence the saying, “Keep the joints lubricated.” Caffeine and alcohol are dehydrating, so the best thing to drink is water.   Using a water with a PH of 8.5 or greater on the go and at home is suggested. The PiMag Sport Bottle  and the    are proven to be greatly benefical.
  7. Lose weight if you need to. In people with tender joints, especially in the knees, even a few pounds can make a difference. Weight puts a strain on the knees and joints.
  8. Check your vitamin D levels. Research shows that low levels of vitamin D might increase sensitivity to the discomforts of arthritis. Since you might not get enough vitamin D from sunshine if you tend to stay indoors during cold weather, you may need a supplement such as Kenzen Mega 4 Daily   It supplies 100% of the RDA of vitamin D as well as other beneficial vitamins, minerals and vegetable superfoods.
  9. To give your joints nutritional support, consider Kenzen Joint   with its advanced formula of a naturally occurring compound, cetyl myristoleate. This ingredient has natural surfactant and lubricant properties to help in smooth movement.*
  10. The same ingredient is found in  CM Complex Cream . When applied topically, the combination of cetyl myristoleate with peppermint, aloe and menthol, provides a naturally cooling and soothing effect.
For more information on the products mentioned go to www.nikken.com/jsj and click on shop now.   We offer information to help you make informed decisions about your wellness.
Grace and peace to you and your family!
jsj

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Stay Healthy in the Flu Season Through Active Wellness

Stay Healthy through the Flu Season with Active Wellness

Extreme weather conditions wreak havoc. Cold, flu, bronchitis and pneumonia lead to misery and even death. What can we do to help maintain good health with all the germs around us?
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University conducted an experiment that suggests the more restful sleep we get, the better our chances of fighting off respiratory bugs. The scientists worked with 153 healthy men and women who agreed to be quarantined and injected with cold viruses. Monitored over the next five days, those who slept less than seven hours nightly were nearly three times more likely to contract colds than those who slept eight hours or more. The researchers measured how deeply the people slept in addition to the number of hours, and the people who had better sleep quality were the ones more likely to fight off colds.1
David Katz, MD, founder of the Yale University Prevention Research Center and author of Disease-Proof: The Remarkable Truth About What Makes Us Well, explains that “our bodies need seven to eight hours of sleep in order to stimulate an immune response from our ‘natural killer cells,’ which attack viruses. Sleep is my most reliable defense against infection.”There’s nothing comparable to the Kenko Naturest® Mattress Topper when it comes to helping you with restful sleep!
Here are some other suggestions to help prevent or shorten colds, flus and respiratory viruses:
  • Eat protein. Douglas Kalman, PhD, RD, director of nutrition and applied clinical trials at Miami Research Associates in Florida says, “Research shows that diets too low in protein can deplete the immune system. So I make sure to get protein-rich foods throughout the day, especially fish, eggs and yogurt.” 2 Nikken makes it easy with nutritional pea protein in Kenzen Vital Balance®
  • Drink lots of water. Paramedic Kristina Economou of Monterey, California says, “As a paramedic, I never know what germs I’ll be encountering, so I drink water constantly to flush toxins out of the lymph system.” 2
  • Use a water bottle. A kindergarten teacher in Atlanta, Georgia, Cheryl Lassister says, “I never use water fountains or the railings on stairs. They’ve got the prints of hundreds of germy hands and mouths. And they don’t get sanitized as other surfaces, like sinks. I’ll use my own water bottle!” 2The PiMag® Sport Bottle not only serves as your personal water bottle but it also has a built in filter, so you get alkaline water without sediment!
  • Get massages regularly. A massage therapist in Las Cruces, New Mexico, Christine Nelson says she doesn’t just give massages, she gets them. She explains, “I receive massages once a month to increase my circulation, which boosts immunity by nourishing cells with more oxygen and blood. It also makes me relaxed and less stressed. When you’re less stressed, you’re less likely to be a germ magnet.” 2When you feel like a quick massage, there’s nothing easier than the hand-held KenkoTouch® with its warming pulsation in three speeds or the MagCreator
  • Take care of your gut. According to the National Institute of Health, approximately 70 to 80 percent of the body’s immune tissue is located within the digestive system, so boosting your immune system really requires a healthy gut.3 For efficient G.I. Tract support, Kenzen® Lactoferrin 2.0™ is both helpful and convenient!
  • Drink tea. Murray Grossnan, MD, ear, nose and throat specialist at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, California says, “I drink hot black or green tea with lemon and honey. Drinking the tea and breathing in steam stimulates the cilia—the hair follicles in the nose—to move out germs more efficiently. Lemon thins mucus and honey is antibacterial.” 2
Wise diet and lifestyle choices can improve your health and well-being. For your well-being, Nikken provides choices in support of Active Wellness with its nutritional supplements, water and sleep products.   
For more information go to www.nikken.com/jsj .  
 Check out the educational videos and use the "Shop Now" tab to learn more about the products referenced in this article.
Grace and peace to each of you.
jsj


Sunday, January 7, 2018



Do you beat yourself up for caving into bad food cravings? Do you blame yourself for lacking will power? Understanding why you have those annoying cravings for sugar, fat, salt and so on, may be just how you can curb them!
In 2008, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) formed the Human Microbiome Project (HMP). Microbiome is defined as “the collection of microbes or microorganisms that inhabit an environment, creating a ‘mini-ecostystem.’”1
The human microbiome, located in the gut, is made up of trillions of bacteria that send messages to the brain. This communication is known as the “brain-gut connection.” Because approximately 70 to 80 percent of the body’s immune tissue is located within the digestive system, boosting your immune system really requires a healthy gut.2
The good news is that you can actually help manage your microbiome and influence the brain-gut connection as well as strengthen your immune system. You can increase the good gut bacteria that sends the brain positive messages and decrease the bad bacteria that causes bad food cravings. In this way, “you are what you eat.”
How to manifest a positive brain-gut connection is relatively simple, but the challenge is getting started. Since good bacteria thrives on fiber and nutrient-dense food, eating that type of food consistently is the key to a healthy brain-gut connection. Good bacteria feeds on fibrous food, digests it and releases a gas up to the brain, telling it that the body is well nourished. When the brain is told that the body is well nourished, it doesn’t think there’s a need to fill in the gaps created by a lack of nutrition. It’s a healthy cycle where nutrient-dense food that is fibrous creates more good bacteria.
On the other hand, bad food leaves nutritional gaps. The gaps are what lead to those unhealthy cravings. Sugar and processed foods contain empty calories rather than useful nutrients and the bad bacteria feeds off of it! In other words, when you avoid foods that generate negative messages from the gut to the brain, you’ll minimize cravings.
Fiber does more than curb cravings. It also helps your mood. The Human Microbiome Project has shown that serotonin, the “feel-good” chemical the body generates, is actually created in the gut, not the brain. More fiber and nutrient-dense food in the gut therefore influences our emotional health as well as our physical well being.
You may be surprised how quickly a healthy gut helps the brain minimize unhealthy cravings and also helps improve your overall health. If you currently don’t eat lots of fibrous foods, integrate them into your daily regimen slowly so that your body has time to adjust. Incorporate it into each meal or snack. The fiber will give a sense of fullness to help you cut back on sugar and processed food.
  • Eat leafy greens, asparagus, any type of bean and root vegetables.
  • Try not to peel apples and pears. Well-scrubbed potato and carrot skins are also fibrous and edible.
  • Do you throw away stems? For example, broccoli stems are full of healthy fiber and taste great in soups and stir-fries. The same is true of kale and spinach stems.
  • Add variety to your diet. Be adventuresome and try vegetables you haven’t had. Or, try new ways of preparing your favorites. Many vegetables are delicious raw while others are easily steamed or sautéed.
  • Be generous in your use of garlic, onions, herbs and spices. They are also sources of fiber and add so much flavor.
The happier your microbiome, the fewer bad food cravings there’ll be. Change doesn’t happen overnight, but the important thing is to get started in helping your gut converse positively with your brain! Best of all, you will discover how delicious these nutrient-dense and fibrous foods are!
To help jumpstart your microbiome, take Kenzen® Digestion Complex 4-20 to assist in processing the additional fiber you eat. Containing a combination of ingredients that tackles fats, proteins, carbohydrates and fiber, Kenzen® Digestion Complex 4-20 supports the assimilation of all types of nutrients.* And to help your circulatory and immune systems work optimally with your gut, take Kenzen® Immunity and Kenzen® Lactoferrin 2.0!
For more information on these products and how to acquire them go to www.nikken.com/jsj